1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dispensing apparatus of the type found in automatic vending machines as well as amusement devices or games of the coin-operated type in which a player uses skill in order to achieve an objective of the game, and wins a small prize item if successful.
2. Description of Related Art
In both vending and amusement machines, items such as small toys or other articles must be dispensed automatically one at a time, either in response to simply depositing the required coin or token, or in response to detection of a "WIN" situation. Typically, each machine includes one or more dispensing systems into which a plurality of items to be dispensed are loaded, and each system includes a gear motor for driving the dispenser to dispense an item in response to the appropriate signal. One such known dispensing system is of the rotating spring type, in which a plurality of toys or other items are suspended from a coil spring which is rotatably supported at one end and free at the opposite end. A gear motor is connected to the spring and is activated in response to a control pulse. As the spring rotates, items will be dispensed one at a time from the end of the spring. A cam mechanism which rotates with the spring activates a switch after one revolution which stops the motor so that only one item is dispensed.